Sponsors
The bill imposes automatic pay penalties on Members of Congress to discourage shutdowns, but it does not protect furloughed federal workers, creates extra payroll administration, and could be undermined if pay is later restored or proves an insufficient deterrent.
Members of Congress: face reduced pay during federal shutdowns, creating a direct financial incentive to avoid shutdowns.
Payroll administrators and congressional pay offices: an automatic pro rata payroll deduction mechanism triggers pay adjustments without extra votes or delays, ensuring immediate implementation.
Federal employees and government contractors: are not guaranteed compensation by this bill when a shutdown causes lost pay or work, so many affected workers remain financially exposed.
Payroll offices and Treasury: must implement pro rata deductions, increasing administrative workload and complexity especially if shutdowns are frequent or short.
Taxpayers and the intended deterrent effect: the measure may be limited if Members later receive back pay or if pay reductions are a weak political deterrent, which could undermine the bill's goal.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Requires deduction of one day’s pay per 24‑hour lapse in appropriations from Members' pay for pay periods that include government shutdown days.
Introduced March 27, 2026 by John James · Last progress March 27, 2026
Reduces the pay of Members of Congress for any pay period that contains one or more days of a federal government shutdown by deducting one day’s pay for each 24‑hour lapse in appropriations that occurs during that pay period. The Treasury is directed to help House payroll administrators implement the deductions; the bill defines what counts as a "government shutdown" and adopts the existing statutory list of who counts as a "Member of Congress." The rule applies to shutdown days occurring during the 120th Congress and future Congresses.